When Mike Leach was named head coach at Washington State University, he wasted no time in naming David Emerick as his chief of staff, a position similar to what Emerick held while he and Leach were at Texas Tech.

Emerick, beginning his fourth year at Washington State, has taken on additional responsibilities since joining the Cougar staff and was recently promoted to Senior Associate Director of Athletics/Chief of Staff for football.

Emerick is no stranger to the Pac-12 Conference, having spent the 2010-11 seasons at the University of Arizona, where he oversaw Arizona’s recruiting efforts as assistant director of operations and director of on-campus recruiting. In 2010 the Wildcats reached the Alamo Bowl against Oklahoma State.

Emerick joined the Arizona football staff in February 2010 after six years working with Leach as a member of the Texas Tech Red Raider staff. During his final two years in Lubbock he was chief of staff and assistant athletics director. There he oversaw the entire recruiting process for the football program and assisted in the organization and execution of football camps.

Additionally, Emerick served as the liaison between the football program and the Texas Tech overall department, specifically in academics, compliance, media relations and marketing areas.

Emerick began his Texas Tech stint in 2004 as he served as unit coordinator during his first season and Director of Player Personnel his next three seasons, before assuming the chief of staff position.

A 2002 political science graduate of the University of Kentucky, Emerick was a college scouting intern with the Houston Texans during the franchise’s first season in 2002. Prior to his stint with the Texans, Emerick was the recruiting and football operations intern at Kentucky while in school during the 1997 through 2001 seasons. As such he was part of the 1998 Outback Bowl and 1999 Music City Bowl appearances by the Wildcats.

Emerick is a graduate of Catholic Memorial High School in his hometown of Waukesha, Wis., and lettered in football, basketball and baseball. He received his master’s degree in interdisciplinary studies with an emphasis in sport management in May of 2007 from Texas Tech.

He and his wife, Sara, have one son, Cristian and one daughter, Caroline.